repair natural gas pipe leak?

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

I have a spot in my detached garage that reeks of some 'mercaptan'y smell. It has for 25 years. There is no natural gas within 1/2 mile. My propane tank is 100feet away on the opposite side of my house- which is 50 feet from the other side of the garage.

I've torn everything out to the inside of the T-1-11 siding- smell is gone for a day, or a week, or a month-- then I smell it again. I'm guessing the previous owner spilled something there-- or it is right in the concrete.

Hmmm--- I did find a prosthetic leg in the attic. . . maybe the old leg is beckoning from below the garage?

Jim

[HeyBub]

Teflon tape is okay, you just have to use twice as much (or yellow Teflon tape which is twice as thick).

But pipe dope is better; it actually seals the joint rather than just lubricating it.

[hallerb]

for better sealing use both tape and dope

[hallerb]

The leak might not be from his home, I had a friend with a leak that was actually from the main line, and followed back from 1/4 a mile away

[Stormin Mormon]

I was trained to use both teflon tape and Rectorseal #5 dope. How could they interfere? Worked fine, all the years I used them.

[Stormin Mormon]

Typically, there is a union in the system some where. If it's not possible to get to the union, it's possible to shut off the gas, and then cut the pipe with a pipe cutter, or sawzall. Then use shorter pieces, and a union.

[Thomas]

Tape is not used on gas pipes. Pieces can break off and cause problems further down.

[Ed Pawlowski]

The companies that make tape for gas lines must be going broke then, what with all that unsold inventory.

[hallerb]

Not according top a friend a master plumber who has 12 trucks on the road.....

He says tape gets a occasional leak.

Dope gets a occasional leak

The combo almost never leaks:)

When your paying nyour techs by nthe hour on fixed price jobs thats important

[clare]

Teflon tape is NOT recommended for gas, because if any of it "strings" off inside the pipe it WILL block orfices - causing untold problems. If you really know what you are doing, you CAN install tape so that it cannot "string off" - but you really DO need to know what you are doing. Teflon paste works much better, is much simpler, and will not cause a problem unless you REALLY screw things up.

[clare]

I know for a fact that in SOME areas, tape on a gas pipe will cause an inspection failure and the gas will NOT be turned on untill the tape is removed and the pipelines cleaned out.

[Evan]

What planet are you from ?

Every plumber I have ever seen fix existing gas piping NEVER starts disassembling the entire system from the meter back to where the leak is... They sacrifice a length of pipe either where the leak is, or in a leak adjacent area where it is easier to work and REPLACE the piping including the section they cut to disassemble...

Remember, gas piping can be cut and threaded to any length needed... It just takes a skilled person to see where the easiest point of attack to fix the problem is... It is NOT taking every length of pipe and fitting out starting from the meter, that is patently ridiculous...

~~ Evan

[Vinny From NYC]

On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:09:21 -0400, [e-mail] wrote Re Re: repair natural gas pipe leak?:

Well, that may be how SOME people think of it, but CERTAINLY not ALL. There are MANY jurisdictions where tape is COMMONLY used WITHOUT problems. What do YOU think of THAT?

[Stormin Mormon]

Small wager? How much you want to lose?

[Stormin Mormon]

if you READ the internet, and CONSIDER the products that ARE for SALE, you might FIND some teflon TAPE which is SUITED for GAS pipes.

THE techs around MY area TELL me that TEFLON paste isn't good, beCAUSE it dries OUT and leaks, LATER.

[Stormin Mormon]

YOU might find THAT SOME teflon TAPE is suited for GAS pipes. Have a LOOK and maybe you'll BE able to learn some.

[Stormin Mormon]

I THINK that CLARE must live in a DIFFERENT part of the COUNTRY from you and I, and THAT Clare has a different EXPERIENCE.

[HeyBub]

Ineffective union influence, laissez fair regulations (if any), severe lack of nanny-state oversight.

[HeyBub]

Why not a bit of flexible metallic hose instead of a union?

[Stormin Mormon]

That would accomplish much the same. I know that the codes don't like flex hose, except for backs of appliance like stove. Not sure why.